Educating Teachers to Work With Latinx Children and Families in Challenging Sociopolitical Contexts and Times

• In Event: Latinx Experiences in U.S. Schools: Students, Teachers, Teacher Educators, and Education Allies as Collaborators

Abstract

Purpose of this presentation:
• To describe the current divisive socio-political context and educational experiences and outcomes of Latinx students in the United States;
• To examine how a selected number of teacher education programs are preparing (or not) teachers to work with Latinx students in those contexts; and
• To highlight two case studies that illustrate best practices to educate effective teachers to work with Latinx children and families.

Theoretical frameworks
Four frameworks inform this presentation: Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1994), Cultural Responsive Teaching (Gay, 2010), Cultural Relevant Pedagogy (Landson-Billings, 1995), and Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) framework (CASEL, 2019).

Methods, modes of inquiry, data sources, and evidence
The need to prepare teachers to work with Latinx children and families should be priority for all teacher preparation programs: the number of Latinx children continues to increase in the U.S. (Flores, 2017); they are 25% of the school-age population, the largest “minority” group in our schools today (Gandara, 2017); and indicators of their success in school show that their academic performance is, on average, at the lowest rates when compared with that of any other group (Musu-Gillette et al, 2017). This trend is not new; however, it has intensified in the current divisive socio-political context. Latinx children are experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety due to constant bullying, insults, threats to their security, and fears that relatives will be deported with no warning, creating socio-cultural contexts that are not conducive to learning (Miller, 2017; Ramirez, 2017).
Given the shortage of Latinx in-service and pre-service teachers (8% self-identify as Latinx) (Shapiro & Partelow, 2018), and that the behaviors identified as strengths of having teachers of the same racial/ethnic groups as their students are learned (and thus teachable) (Partelow et al., 2017), it appears necessary to intentionally prepare teachers to effectively work in culturally responsive ways using a SEL lens that responds to the unique characteristics of Latinx students.
In this study, an initial review of 10 teacher education programs in Massachusetts (the state identified as best in the country in a number of indicators [Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership, 2018], and yet the one with the widest opportunity gap for its students of color), shows that all include at least one course on the social contexts of education, and at least one course on how to teach English Language Learners. No program, however, has a dedicated course on preparing teachers to deal with the SEL needs of their students, or a course dedicated to how to teach Latinx students in particular. In this paper, two case studies of institutions that have been successful in preparing teachers to work with the Latinx community will be presented.
 
Scholarly significance
By documenting the divisive socio-political climate that Latinx students are experiencing, and the limited attention that teacher preparation programs have paid to this climate, this paper will create awareness among teacher-educators of this gaps in our work. The poster will offer practical recommendations to improve the preparation of teachers who are ready to educate the Latinx students effectively.

Author

• Eleonora Villegas-Reimers, Boston University